U.S. Pat. No. 4,601,199 discloses a method and arrangement for checking the operation of an actuator in a motor vehicle. In this method and arrangement, the actuator is driven in a pregiven manner in predetermined operating states and especially during overrun operation of the internal combustion engine and a variable is detected and observed. The variable is connected indirectly to the change of the drive of the actuator. A correct function of the actuator or of the electronic system connected thereto is assumed when a pregiven relationship exists between the particular drive change and the change of the detected variable.
This procedure cannot be applied when the pregiven operating condition, that is the overrun operation, is not present for the checking operation.